Month: October 2015

SUMMARY

NCCIC/ICS-CERT is aware of a public disclosure of a cross-site scripting vulnerability with proof-of-concept (PoC) exploit code affecting SDG Technologies Plug and Play SCADA, a supervisory control and data acquisition/human-machine interface (SCADA/HMI) product. According to this report, the vulnerability is exploitable by inserting malicious script in the HTML request to web servers. This report was released without coordination with either the vendor or ICS-CERT. ICS-CERT has notified the affected vendor of the report and has asked the vendor to confirm the vulnerability and identify mitigations. ICS-CERT is issuing this alert to provide early notice of the report and identify baseline mitigations for reducing risks to these and other cybersecurity attacks.

The report included vulnerability details and PoC exploit code for the following vulnerability:

Vulnerability Type

Remotely Exploitable

Impact

Cross-site Scripting

Yes

Remote Code Execution

Cross-site scripting vulnerabilities allow a malicious party to insert malicious code into pages viewed by others. When others view these pages, their browsers execute the code believing it to have originated from the web server. Until the vendor addresses the vulnerability, ICS-CERT recommends that asset owners using SDG Technologies Plug and Play SCADA take the steps listed in the mitigation section. This disclosure was made to Pastebin and attributed to Kelvin Security. ICS-CERT believes the exploit code to be valid.

SDG Technologies Plug and Play SCADA (PnPSCADA) is a web-based SCADA HMI that is used primarily within the Energy Sector. SDG Technologies is a manufacturer of hardware and software for Automatic Meter Reading systems. They are headquartered in Kempton Park, South Africa.

MITIGATION

ICS-CERT has been unable to reach a representative of SDG Technologies.

ICS-CERT recommends that users take defensive measures to minimize the risk of exploitation of these vulnerabilities. Specifically, users should:

Minimize network exposure for all control system devices and/or systems, and ensure that they are not accessible from the Internet.

Locate control system networks and devices behind firewalls, and isolate them from the business network.

When remote access is required, use secure methods, such as Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), recognizing that VPNs may have vulnerabilities and should be updated to the most current version available. Also recognize that VPN is only as secure as the connected devices.

Organizations that observe any suspected malicious activity should follow their established internal procedures and report their findings to ICS-CERT for tracking and correlation against other incidents.